Pep Guardiola wants Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to replace Joe Hart between the sticks, according to reports in the Spanish press.
New Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is keen on replacing goalkeeper Joe Hart with Barcelona’s Chilean stopper Claudio Bravo, as he continues to reshape a new-look squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.
The report comes from Spanish source Mundo Deportivo, via Alec Shilton of the Sun, and states Guardiola is “determined” to land his man ahead of fellow Barca stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, having identified a key deficiency in Hart’s game:
"Spanish sports paper Deportivo Mundo reports on its front page that Chile international Bravo is the man Guardiola wants to challenge Hart, with the former Barca boss believing the England man’s footwork is not up to scratch.Fellow Blaugrana keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 24, is also a City target.But Barca are not keen to sell the German, with his release clause a monster £68million (80m euros)."
Bravo does represent better value, even though the 33-year-old has some years on his German team-mate. However, the career of a goalkeeper is longer than that of most outfield players.
Bravo can also make the case he’s gotten better the age. After all, the veteran ‘keeper has won a host of trophies at both club and international level the past two seasons, including consecutive La Liga titles at Barca to go with back-to-back Copa America trophies with Chile.
While Hart is no stranger to silverware, having won a pair of Premier League titles at City, Guardiola’s concerns about the England no. 1 have merit.
Not only is footwork an issue when repelling chances, Hart’s distribution can also be lacking. It’s something Guardiola is likely to bemoan more than most managers given his preference for on-the-deck, possession-based football that requires his team to build from the back.
La Liga expert Guillem Balague recently hinted at how Hart may not be the best stylistic fit for how Guardiola wants City to play:
On Joe Hart. I think even he knows a Pep team needs a different goalkeeper. But lack of offers so far might give him a chance to impress him
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) July 9, 2016
The new Citizens chief also offered only lukewarm backing for Hart following his struggles with England at this summer’s UEFA Euro 2016, during his introductory press conference, per Goal’s Sam Lee:
This isn't entirely convincing from Pep on Hart, is it? Or am I reading too much into it? pic.twitter.com/Sw5EB2kavd
— Sam Lee (@SamLee) July 9, 2016
Guardiola may be more comfortable with Bravo, while his coaching staff already have experience working with the Chilean, according to Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, who highlighted this significant detail from the Mundo Deportivo article: “Held as key in the report is Xabier Mancisidor, the goalkeeping coach who has stayed on at the club beyond Manuel Pellegrini’s departure. He worked with Bravo at Real Sociedad.”
If City are determined to shake things up in front of the net, Bravo is a good fit for what Guardiola wants. He should be able to convince his old club to sell, especially since ter Stegen already represents the immediate future for Barca.
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